My Instant Death Ability is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me! Volume 14 Chapter 4

 CHAPTER 4

Yeah. I Don't Understand The Logic, But I'll Trust You, Takatou-kun.

As Yogiri and the others moved deeper into the temple, they came across a small room.

"There's not much here."

"Well, if we're just waiting, this should be enough."

The room was about ten meters square, with a sofa set placed in the center. If the intention was for a party to wait here, having enough space for four people would suffice.

"Shall we take a look around?"

There were no windows, just one door on the opposite wall. Two doors on the left side, and one on the right. The entrance they had come through had disappeared, likely a one-way passage similar to the gate in the prison area.

The left doors led to restrooms. From the symbols on the doors, they seemed to be separated by gender. Yogiri peeked into the men's restroom. It was an ordinary, clean toilet with no unpleasantness.

Judging by Tomochika's reaction, the women's restroom seemed to have no issues either.

The right door led to a room resembling a pantry. There were tanks with water and hot water, and tea leaves and tableware were provided.

They checked the door on the opposite wall next, but there was nothing behind it.

It was just an empty, white space.

"Does this mean we can't go anywhere? If we leave, will we fall?"

'Hmm. We can't even get out in the first place. I tried to phase through the wall to look outside, but I couldn't.'

Yogiri reached out to the space beyond the door but was obstructed midway. Although the area appeared to be empty, it was as if there was an invisible wall.

Yogiri closed the door and sat on the sofa.

"Hey, I know it's late to say this, but isn't this a pretty dangerous situation?"

Tomochika sat across from Yogiri.

"True. If we're trapped here, our only option will be to starve to death."

"Could this be a method to defeat Takatou-kun?"

In this case, it wasn't about someone having murderous intent. Yogiri and the others were just being left alone.

"Well... In the worst case, we'll find a way. But if they wanted to kill me, would they go through the trouble of inciting me? It's a hassle, but it seems like the Sage enjoys this situation."

The Sage must believe they can kill Yogiri while watching the situation unfold. In that case, they probably wouldn't desire a dull ending like death by starvation.

"I guess so. They've gone through a lot of trouble with everything else."

Convinced or resigned, Tomochika seemed to stop worrying unnecessarily.

"Do you think it's okay to eat these sweets?"

Tomochika pointed at the table. There was a plate with baked goods on it.

'That is being too careless, is it not?'

Yogiri picked up a cookie from the plate.

He didn't have a bad feeling about it, so it probably wasn't poisoned. Yogiri took a bite of the cookie.

"Yep. It's probably fine. It's delicious."

"Really?"

Feeling reassured, Tomochika began to eat a cookie as well.

'The basic rule is not to consume food or drink provided by the enemy...'

"If we follow that rule, we won't be able to do anything."

After all, they were in another world, and everything was happening within a game-like space created by the Sage. Everything they had eaten and drunk so far could be considered suspicious. At this point, Yogiri thought there wasn't much significance in being cautious about teatime snacks.

"So, I wanted to ask, if we're trapped in a room like this, can your power do something about it, Takatou-kun?"

"Well, if we were simply locked in a cell or something, I could kill the iron bars or the wall and get out."

"But this room is in some kind of mysterious space, right?"

'Yes. It's not connected to the temple we were in atop the pyramid earlier; it's in a separate location.'

"I'm not an expert on physics or space or dimensions, so my explanation from here on will be pretty vague, but is that okay?"

"I'd be more troubled if you started talking about specialized physics concepts."

"I think a place like this is like an in-between space, existing adjacent to or overlapping with the space we were in earlier."

"I'm lost already!"

"Well, I don't have any solid proof that what I'm saying is correct. You know how there are worlds you might accidentally stumble into, like those in legends of people being spirited away?"

"I can't say I understand it as a common sense, but... I guess I get the general idea?"

"Let's assume that's the case. If it's a nearby space where we can easily travel back and forth, I can use my power to kill the wall-like barrier between the spaces and create a hole. If we go through that hole, we can return to the original space."

"You weren't kidding when you said it was going to be vague."

"I can only grasp it intuitively; I can't provide any theoretical explanation."

It was an uncertain story with no evidence or proof, but they had no choice but to accept it as such. It would be difficult to understand or explain a phenomenon from another world in a way that made sense.

"So, we can somehow return to the original location?"

"Probably. I feel like I can do it intuitively."

"That's pretty vague..."

"That's why we should just wait and see for now."

"Yeah. I don't understand the logic, but I'll trust you, Takatou-kun."

Yogiri thought it would be difficult for Tomochika to understand, but she seemed convinced that he could handle the situation.

"Oh, so can you break the wall of the space or something and return to the original world?"

"I can."

"So, it's not possible because the original world isn't close by... Wait, you can!?"

"There's a method if there are no other means."

Yogiri frowned. It was truly a last resort for him, something he would rather not do if possible.

"...Well, I should probably explain in advance."

He didn't know what would happen in the future, but there might be a situation where they would have to choose that method as an emergency measure. Yogiri thought that in a last-minute situation, there would be no time for explanations.

"It's simple. I just need to kill and eliminate everything that exists between the original world and this one."

"Everything... like what?"

"I don't know. But I think there's something. Like another world or something similar."

'True... I was able to figure out the coordinate values of the original world... but I don't know how to use them specifically. I have no idea how far it is from here to the original world. I don't even know if it can be converted into a simple distance.'

"That... sounds like something we shouldn't do..."

Upon imagining the specifics, Tomochika's face turned slightly pale.

"Yeah. The primary purpose of my power is to protect myself. Just wanting to return doesn't justify killing everything in between. But... if there are no other options..."

"I don't think I'm prepared to go that far!"

It's unclear what lies between their world and the original one, but if there are worlds inhabited by intelligent life, destroying everything would mean wiping them out. It's impossible for two high school students to bear such a burden. Tomochika's hesitation was natural.

"So, although I don't fully understand what we're doing right now, I think we have no choice but to be involved in whatever the Sages are doing. Hopefully, we'll learn a way to return home during that time."

"Yeah... We really need to figure out a way to get back..."

For now, Yogiri and Tomochika's goal was to clear the underground quest and return to the surface.

As for the method of returning, they had no clear prospects yet.

　　＊＊＊＊＊

Hanakawa and Sora were making steady progress through the prison area.

After the floor with the dragon, only weak enemies appeared. Probably every certain number of floors had a powerful boss, and it would be like this for a while.

If the enemies were just small fry like zombies and goblins, it wouldn't be too difficult for Hanakawa to defeat them. Since Sora seemed to have no combat abilities, dealing with the small fry was Hanakawa's role.

Well... having Sora-tan's fans come out to defeat this level of small fry is unpleasant in its own way, too!

Although it might be possible for Sora's fans to defeat the small fry, it would not be enjoyable for them to be blown up each time.

However... that being said, there is a little problem...

Before he knew it, Hanakawa was wearing a happi coat. He wore a flashy happi, like the ones idol fans wear, with "Aki Sora life" written on the back, over his kung fu clothes.

"Sora-tan?"

"What is it?"

"Do you know anything about this thing I'm wearing?"

"Didn't you prepare it, Hanakawa-kun?"

"No, it's nothing."

It's not like an idol would prepare support goods for their fans. From Sora's perspective, it probably seemed like Hanakawa had prepared it voluntarily to support her.

Could it be that... unknowingly, Sora-tan's fanatical and enthusiastic followers have been activated, and I've been caught up in it? What if I end up self-destructing for Sora-tan's sake if anything happens?

For now, his body hasn't moved on its own to protect Sora. However, even if he intended to fight the small fry enemies on his own, he couldn't say for sure that this choice wasn't influenced by Sora's ability.

"Oh, here comes another one."

"Leave it to me!"

Around the corner ahead, a beastman with a pig's head appeared.

Hanakawa thrust his right fist forward.

A ki blast was released from his fist, and the pig-headed beastman was sent flying.

There was no need to take time to accumulate ki against this level of enemy; it was enough to simply unleash the naturally gathered ki.

It was an easy victory, and there was no problem in dealing with it.

The only issue, perhaps, was the penlight he had unknowingly gripped in his right hand. Hanakawa held a light that glowed in various colors, like the ones taken to live shows.

"... W-well, it might be useful in places where we need light... and if I got it for free, it might be a good deal..."

Although he felt like he was definitely getting entangled in Sora's ability, Hanakawa decided to ignore it for the time being. If they separated from each other here, they might be in trouble if another boss appeared. In that case, it might be better to accompany her as one of Sora's fans.

When they turned the corner where the beastman had appeared, they found a dead end with a gate.

They passed through the gate, climbed the stairs, and moved to the upper level.

The area they arrived at was the end of a passage, with the path extending in front of them.

Seeing three figures ahead, Hanakawa became cautious.

"Ah, isn't that Akino-san?"

The silhouettes turned around. It was Ryoko, Carol, and the hotel concierge, Celestina.

"Hello. So Carol and the others are here too."

"Well, if we don't join this, we'll be left behind!"

"Wouldn't it be okay to show some remorse!? I was mercilessly left behind!"

"Sorry!"

"Shallow! So light and fluffy! If Aozora-tan hadn't come, I would have surely died!?"

"People die at least once in their lives, right?"

"Um... That outfit suits you strangely well."

Unable to think of anything else to say, Ryoko made an incredibly offhand comment. Convinced that the two of them genuinely didn't care about him, Hanakawa decided not to pursue the matter further.

"So, did you join up with Celestina-san?"

"Yes, she was going on her own, so I called out to her."

"Celestina is super strong! It's so smooth!"

"Then, is it alright for us to join up as well?"

"Umm, we're fine with it, but I wonder what Celestina-san would say?"

Just when Hanakawa thought they would easily join forces, Carol said something as if she had second thoughts.

"No way, I never thought there would be an objection to joining!?"

"Of course, I will accompany you all. You are all guests of the hotel, after all."

Celestina easily accepted them. While it seemed like their status as hotel guests hardly mattered now, it appeared to be important to Celestina.

"Celestina-san, you use threads, right?"

"Yes, so far there hasn't been an enemy I couldn't handle, so please don't worry."

While she was saying that, a monster in the distance was torn to pieces.

"Was the dragon okay too?"

"Yes, there was no problem. On the other hand, did you have any issues with the Golbagion Four Heavenly Kings?"

"Four Heavenly Kings? I haven't encountered them. There's no way I'd forget if I had met such a ridiculous group."

According to Celestina, people claiming to be subordinates of Demon King Golbagion were hunting other participants along the way.

"I see. It seems that the route splits depending on the gate you pass through. Nevertheless, there's still a possibility of encountering them later, so you should be cautious."

"Even so, if Celestina-san is with us, we can feel at ease!"

Hanakawa had been saved by Celestina just before entering the underground quest. Having witnessed the power of her threads, he had no doubts about her abilities.

Ryoko and Carol seemed to not care about Hanakawa, and Aozora only thought of him as one of her fans. Celestina, who was trying to protect the hotel guests, seemed more caring than his classmates.

"Let's get going, then. The gate seems to be over there."

With the Philosopher's Stone providing a rough idea of the gate's location and her long, extendable threads allowing for exploration of the surrounding area, escaping the prison area would be a breeze if they left it to Celestina.

Just as Hanakawa thought that, he suddenly lost consciousness without any warning.

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